ARTICLE: How to buy a *USED* Car in India

This is a discussion on ARTICLE: How to buy a *USED* Car in India within On buying a car, part of the Team-BHP Advice category; I am of the opinion that buying a car which is a segment lower than your liking but comparatively newer ...

I am of the opinion that buying a car which is a segment lower than your liking but comparatively newer than the other 'big car' which may be available at a very tempting price and may also satisfy the enthusiast in you makes more sense. There are a number of factors that may vary from car to car and place to place.
A 9-10 years old car may have seen alot of extreme weather conditions, we all know what Indian weather conditions can do to a vehicle.
When you buy a newer car (say 2-3 years old) you can pretty much keep the car the way you want because mostly all cars today irrespective of the brand they belong to are nearly as good and reliable as new if kept well and not a lemon.
I agree that there are many people who buy old cars and are pretty much enjoying a peaceful and joyful ownership.
None of us likes to visit the workshop frequently but in case of a 9-10 years old car you are mostly bound to be visiting the workshop frequently not because of a breakdown but because of little things which crop up in such an old vehicle. On the contrary in a newer car with relatively less mileage and lesser wear and tear you are unlikely to be visiting the workshop for anything other than periodic servicing.

These are just my views which may be a little conservative. We all wish to get the best for the money we spend but one should be mentally prepared of the consequences of buying an old car. If the concerned person is okay with the consequences then there is absolutely no problem but I know several people who simply bought old cars just because they thought they were pretty reliable, but we should realize that even the most reliable cars can't last forever and they will need their share of repairs which mostly would be due to wear and tear only but still require money and energy which are one of the costliest assets to most of us.

If the body of the car is in good condition and so is the engine, then can a person have a near hassle free ownership experience if he changes

a) clutch
b) suspension
c) tyres

of an 8 to 9 year old car or performance car.

Unfortunately there isn't a simple answer to that. It really depends on how well the car was maintained during it's lifetime and how many miles it has done. Some cars/models wear better then others.

But as a general rule, I would never just start replacing bits and pieces. The tyres, it's easy to see and check what state they are in. If they're ok, leave them be.

Suspension, again its pretty simple to get a reasonable feel on the suspension by taking it for a test drive and doing a simple visual inspection. Suspension is also a bit of a 'large' term. The suspension consists of lots of different bits and pieces and it's very unlikely it will all need replacing, if any at all. Truth is that it is virtually impossible to predict on a working shock absorber how much life is left.

Springs don't really wear out, but occasionally they will break. The one thing I would be looking for on a 8-9 year old car, that has lived in India, would be all the various bushes in the suspension. They do wear out, hard work (e.g. bumpy roads), high temperature wears them down more rapidly. A good test drive can help and to some extend a visual inspection and some prodding around on all the links and leverage to check for any play is a pretty good indication. Same for all ball joints.

Clutch, might be a bit more difficult. Apart from a very simple test, few cars offer the possibility of actually measuring the wear on the clutch. So to some extend you have to take your luck here. Again, depending on car/model and a sort of average usage you might be able to make some educated guess as to what you can expect.

Actually these three "big ticket item" are probably the least of your worries. Like I said, tyres you know exactly what you are getting, so there simply is no risk.

Clutch and (most) suspension work is pretty straightforward. When cars get older there are a whole host of different little things that will start failing at some point in time. Each on its own, might not that big a thing, but it can add up the cost and for many at least equally important, the enjoyment/pleasure you get of owning a particular car. Or impact the reliability.

Everything ultimately wears out, or simply perishes over time. Some things you can check, but that's not a guarantee it won't break shortly afterwards. Bearings for instance, being subject to this. You can check the wheel bearings on a car and find them well within specifications. But on a 8-9 year old car with say 150.000 km on the clock that doesn't mean one or two might fail in the next 20.000km.

That's just how it works with bearings, they are perfect (more or less) until they break and then you just have to replace them. Other then keeping them (when possible) properly adjusted/oiled or waxed and protected not much you can do.

Same with for instance your master/slave cylinder of the brake and or the clutch system. Either they work perfect or they leak and need replacing. There is nothing in between, you can't even measure how much "life" is left on them.

There are a couple of thing I will always replace when I buy a second hand car. Just because my experience has shown you can get a lot of niggling little problems otherwise: Remember I tend to buy with approx 150.000km on the clock. Unless I see very creditable evidence that any of the below had been done very recently I would go ahead with the following:

- Replace all oil and oil/air filters Don't forget the transmission oil and the filter, same for the power steering!
- Flush the brake/clutch hydraulic fluids and have the system refilled completely
- Flush the cooling liquid system and refill completely
- Replace the distributor cap, rotor and all high tension leads. Over time they just perish and are going to give you all sorts of stupid, sometimes very difficult to diagnose problems.
- Unless they look brand new, I would replace all the V-belts that drive water pump, AC etc.
- Check the battery and on a car with lots of electronics (most modern cars) get it replaced with the highest capacity battery you can get your hands on.
- Check the fuel lines, any non-metal parts will bound to start leaking at some time in the future, it will just perish, so replace it.

Of course, the above only comes after a very exhaustive pre-sales check on many different aspects, including looking at the clutch, tires and suspension and a whole lot more. But even it that checks out I will still go ahead and do all these things as I described. Because I know it will make the car more drivable and more reliable for the kilometers to come.

So, its very difficult to give a simple answer to your question. There is some general direction. As I pointed out in an earlier post, I would always try and do some research on 'known issues' with a particular car/model. Best to check with the car/model specific owner forums on the internet. They tend to have the best and the most accurate information.

And of course, NEVER EVER buy a modern car without having it hooked up to a OBD analyzer, preferably a car/model specific one. It will save you a lot of headache.
Jeroen

Greetings,
I am planning to buy an used car.Being a noob how can I make sure all the documents are up-to-date ? Should I take the car to a service centre and get everything checked before buying the car ? What all documents should I get signed from the buyer ?

Greetings,
I am planning to buy an used car.Being a noob how can I make sure all the documents are up-to-date ? Should I take the car to a service centre and get everything checked before buying the car ? What all documents should I get signed from the buyer ?

It would depend on the age of the car. If it is a relatively new car, post 2006 for instance, you should try to find its service records. Ask the owner/ seller to provide you with some records and then you can cross check them with the service centre if possible. This reassures you that proper maintenance was done, shows what problems cropped up in the past and prevents odometer tampering.

It would depend on the age of the car. If it is a relatively new car, post 2006 for instance, you should try to find its service records. Ask the owner/ seller to provide you with some records and then you can cross check them with the service centre if possible. This reassures you that proper maintenance was done, shows what problems cropped up in the past and prevents odometer tampering.

Thank you very much for the detailed reply. I had intended to thank you much earlier however got tied up with many things in life.

"OBDAnalyser" wow never heard about this earlier or read in any post. That's why I love TBHP for the knowledge all of us bring in this forum. Will ask Uncle Google about this and learn in details about this.

I had purchased an Toyota Corolla Nov. 2006 model couple of years back. It was serviced through out at Lakozy Toyota however on checking found that it was not send there for last 15 months ( i understand as the owner would have decided to sell this vehicle )

Immediately send it for complete service and everything was fine except for

a) brake disk - which was skimmed on the lathe machine by the owner and was very very thin. Got them replaced along with the brake pad

b) changed the tyres to Bridgestone Potenza

c) was informed there was an oil leak in 1 suspension which after couple of months gave way and hence replaced the suspensions ( both of them )

The car runs beautifully and in recent service was informed that the bushes in lower arm are developing cracks. Told the service guy to change the bushes.

As per Toyota Lakozy the entire lower arm needs to be replaced and it costs Rs 27000

Checked with outside mechanic who says that he can easily change the bushes and the same are available ( original toyota spares )

Logic says i should get the same done outside however what is the take of this esteemed forum. Please guide

Our relatives are fairly affluent and our family has traveled on occasions in some very expensive cars.

However as per my family This Corolla is very very comfortable and should be retained for next 10 years

Have taken this car on loooong drives of over 800 kms minimum one way many times and the entire family comes out fresh as daisy after the drives.

Will also appreciate if the forum could guide me to any accessories which i should add to this car to make it more comfortable for Family Looong Drives

Just for sharing - a week back I was with my Korean Clients and the Company had send Mercedes S 380 for the entire day with us.

When my family sat in this car they said that the next upgrade should be this and till then Corolla has to be our car. A very strong suggestion by my 8 year old daughter seconded by my wife and mom.

Very informative thread. While the basic guidelines to be kept in mind will be common across vehicles, I am sure there must be some very car make/model specific issues that one needs look out for. If anyone has bought a pre-owned Civic or Accord, could they please throw some light on most important things to look for, in post 2008 models? Thanks !

the car looks to be in excellent condition and has supposedly been service every 5k km of it's 80k km life so far. i have been told that all service documents are available as well.
the add was on OLX & was advertised for 2,45,000
when i called the owner, he told me he was expecting around 2,25,000
i will taking an experienced driver and a mechanic along with me tomorrow.

i wanted to check in here about the price and also in the OHC would be a smart buy for me(in terms of maintenance costs), i plan on using for about 50k kms over the next 4 years.

the add was on OLX & was advertised for 2,45,000
when i called the owner, he told me he was expecting around 2,25,000

Seems much on higher side for 13 years old car. Just for your information, in Feb'14 the 2006 non-VTEC version cost me 2.65 lac + many other things like registration, first choice warranty, CNG conversion, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by reddify

also in the OHC would be a smart buy for me(in terms of maintenance costs), i plan on using for about 50k kms over the next 4 years.

Honda's spare parts are priced at ridiculously high rates. Just for example, Wheel bearings upwards of Rs.10K (others are in range of 1.5K to 4K). So if you are going to need any repairs, be ready with the extra cash. But if the car is well maintained and once repairs are done it serves really well for a long time if you dont abuse the vehicle.

Also, add to it the monopoly of Honda, you wont find spare parts in the open market easily and are completely dependent on their service centers. Or seriously consider a Maruti IMHO if you're genuinely concerned on maintenance costs.

Seems much on higher side for 13 years old car. Just for your information, in Feb'14 the 2006 non-VTEC version cost me 2.65 lac + many other things like registration, first choice warranty, CNG conversion, etc.

Honda's spare parts are priced at ridiculously high rates. Just for example, Wheel bearings upwards of Rs.10K (others are in range of 1.5K to 4K). So if you are going to need any repairs, be ready with the extra cash. But if the car is well maintained and once repairs are done it serves really well for a long time if you dont abuse the vehicle.

Also, add to it the monopoly of Honda, you wont find spare parts in the open market easily and are completely dependent on their service centers. Or seriously consider a Maruti IMHO if you're genuinely concerned on maintenance costs.

Thank you for the input !

After speaking to a trusted mechanic yesterday who had only good things to say about the model and who felt the price was understandable. I have decided to go ahead with my plans to purchase this car, of course might bargain a little bit more, I'll have to wait and see...

I've a virtual budget of around 2 lakhs and going through OLX the only other cars at that price were some heavily used lancers and accents. Even santro xings were around the 2.5lakh mark with a few examples under 2lakh.

However, despite this being my first car, I definitely consider myself an enthusiast and believe it makes more sense for me to invest in a car that I might enjoy for years to come.

Also, I've explained the slightly higher running costs to my parents and they've given me the go ahead, so it's nice to have that little bit of confidence